Google ends one of the biggest privacy and tracking problems with Maps, although there are nuances
Google just announced big changes to how it will handle police access to users’ location data on Google Maps.
Specifically, there are changes regarding data retention and will limit Google’s ability to respond to “geofence orders” or geofencinga rather controversial legal tool that allows authorities to obtain information on all users within a specific location during a given period.
For example, if we go further, authorities in Virginia, United States, violated the Constitution when they used Google location data to find people who were near the scene of a bank robbery in 2019, according to a ruling judge.
This data has been used to help solve all types of crimesfrom robberies and home invasions to murder and sexual assault, and to identify the people who stormed the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021. However, It seems that things are going to change now.
Goodbye to Google’s ‘geofencing’ that tracks all your locations and is then used by the Police
Note that this novelty does not prevent the government from obtaining specific information from a user by requesting complete account details. However, It will no longer be possible for researchers to provide coordinates and a time period to force Google to provide identification data or metadata for all users within those parameters..
The measure seeks, so to speak, to balance the need for law enforcement to access information that is really important for investigations with the importance of protecting people’s privacy. Location over time is considered one of the most important pieces of information about a person, and the company’s decision will help reduce that risk.
Jennifer Granick, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, highlighted the importance of Google’s decision in terms of security and privacy. As she explains, retaining location data for months or even years was a risk, and Google’s change represents a real benefit to people’s privacy.
